Highest paying metros for elementary school teachers

Nearly 1.4 million people work as elementary school teachers in the United States, and if you count special education and substitute teachers as well, the figure edges closer to 2 million educators. Not just anyone can get a job as a teacher, however. Elementary school teachers are required to have, at a minimum, a bachelor's degree; an additional state-issued license or certification is required for public school teachers.

Nationwide, elementary school teachers earn an average annual salary of $44,800. However, this figure belies a wide disparity, with teachers in some areas earning more than $100,000 and others less than $35,000. At Stacker, we parsed the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2016 report on occupational wage estimates to determine the places that offer the most competitive wages for elementary school teachers. In our analysis, we focused on metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs), and their respective metropolitan subdivisions when available.

Read on to find out which places across America offer the most competitive salaries for this important profession.

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1 / 50

#50. Worcester, MA-CT

Median annual wage: $73,020
Annual 75th percentile wage: $81,570
90th-percentile annual wage: $97,100
Total employed: 2,420

2 / 50

#49. Taunton-Middleborough-Norton, MA NECTA Division

Median annual wage: $73,110
Annual 75th percentile wage: $90,190
90th-percentile annual wage: $101,090
Total employed: 570

3 / 50

#48. Visalia-Porterville, CA

Median annual wage: $73,260
Annual 75th percentile wage: $89,250
90th-percentile annual wage: $103,550
Total employed: 1,890

4 / 50

#47. Las Cruces, NM

Median annual wage: $73,850
Annual 75th percentile wage: $82,610
90th-percentile annual wage: $96,540
Total employed: 790

5 / 50

#46. Lowell-Billerica-Chelmsford, MA-NH NECTA Division

Median annual wage: $73,860
Annual 75th percentile wage: $86,950
90th-percentile annual wage: $129,590
Total employed: 1,560

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6 / 50

#45. San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA Metropolitan Division

Median annual wage: $74,350
Annual 75th percentile wage: $92,580
90th-percentile annual wage: $110,350
Total employed: 4,740

7 / 50

#44. Springfield, MA-CT

Median annual wage: $74,400
Annual 75th percentile wage: $97,090
90th-percentile annual wage: $120,460
Total employed: 3,170

8 / 50

#43. Barnstable Town, MA

Median annual wage: $74,590
Annual 75th percentile wage: $90,610
90th-percentile annual wage: $104,550
Total employed: 1,030

9 / 50

#42. New Haven, CT

Median annual wage: $74,590
Annual 75th percentile wage: $94,300
90th-percentile annual wage: $107,870
Total employed: 3,370

10 / 50

#41. Santa Rosa, CA

Median annual wage: $74,630
Annual 75th percentile wage: $90,320
90th-percentile annual wage: $101,870
Total employed: 2,310

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11 / 50

#40. Redding, CA

Median annual wage: $74,870
Annual 75th percentile wage: $92,060
90th-percentile annual wage: $105,560
Total employed: 780

12 / 50

#39. Montgomery County-Bucks County-Chester County, PA Metropolitan Division

Median annual wage: $74,940
Annual 75th percentile wage: $99,260
90th-percentile annual wage: $119,730
Total employed: 8,400

13 / 50

#38. East Stroudsburg, PA

Median annual wage: $75,230
Annual 75th percentile wage: $88,400
90th-percentile annual wage: $99,120
Total employed: N/A

14 / 50

#37. Bakersfield, CA

Median annual wage: $75,490
Annual 75th percentile wage: $95,800
90th-percentile annual wage: $119,840
Total employed: 4,750

15 / 50

#36. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division

Median annual wage: $75,540
Annual 75th percentile wage: $95,140
90th-percentile annual wage: $115,910
Total employed: 21,890

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16 / 50

#35. Hanford-Corcoran, CA

Median annual wage: $75,720
Annual 75th percentile wage: $91,030
90th-percentile annual wage: $100,000
Total employed: 1,120

17 / 50

#34. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division

Median annual wage: $75,860
Annual 75th percentile wage: $93,330
90th-percentile annual wage: $112,110
Total employed: 12,270

18 / 50

#33. Merced, CA

Median annual wage: $75,910
Annual 75th percentile wage: $91,420
90th-percentile annual wage: $101,820
Total employed: 1,600

19 / 50

#32. Salinas, CA

Median annual wage: $76,050
Annual 75th percentile wage: $90,370
90th-percentile annual wage: $100,550
Total employed: 2,500

20 / 50

#31. Peabody-Salem-Beverly, MA NECTA Division

Median annual wage: $76,110
Annual 75th percentile wage: $93,750
90th-percentile annual wage: $115,100
Total employed: 740

21 / 50

#30. Madera, CA

Median annual wage: $76,550
Annual 75th percentile wage: $92,870
90th-percentile annual wage: $105,190
Total employed: 980

22 / 50

#29. New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division

Median annual wage: $76,580
Annual 75th percentile wage: $98,210
90th-percentile annual wage: $120,350
Total employed: 58,420

23 / 50

#28. Anchorage, AK

Median annual wage: $76,610
Annual 75th percentile wage: $90,640
90th-percentile annual wage: $102,760
Total employed: 1,760

24 / 50

#27. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA

Median annual wage: $76,650
Annual 75th percentile wage: $91,340
90th-percentile annual wage: $100,640
Total employed: 4,050

25 / 50

#26. Fresno, CA

Median annual wage: $76,800
Annual 75th percentile wage: $95,370
90th-percentile annual wage: $115,050
Total employed: 4,540

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26 / 50

#25. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

Median annual wage: $76,860
Annual 75th percentile wage: $90,730
90th-percentile annual wage: $100,500
Total employed: 10,720

27 / 50

#24. Leominster-Gardner, MA

Median annual wage: $76,890
Annual 75th percentile wage: $98,700
90th-percentile annual wage: $122,040
Total employed: 480

28 / 50

#23. Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT

Median annual wage: $77,290
Annual 75th percentile wage: $93,470
90th-percentile annual wage: $102,560
Total employed: 5,290

29 / 50

#22. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA

Median annual wage: $77,610
Annual 75th percentile wage: $94,490
90th-percentile annual wage: $106,190
Total employed: 2,250

30 / 50

#21. San Rafael, CA Metropolitan Division

Median annual wage: $78,090
Annual 75th percentile wage: $94,500
90th-percentile annual wage: $115,160
Total employed: 1,500

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31 / 50

#20. Oakland-Hayward-Berkeley, CA Metropolitan Division

Median annual wage: $78,200
Annual 75th percentile wage: $93,580
90th-percentile annual wage: $103,980
Total employed: 11,980

32 / 50

#19. Yuba City, CA

Median annual wage: $78,370
Annual 75th percentile wage: $95,460
90th-percentile annual wage: $109,760
Total employed: 1,280

33 / 50

#18. New Bedford, MA

Median annual wage: $78,600
Annual 75th percentile wage: $98,630
90th-percentile annual wage: $122,040
Total employed: 590

34 / 50

#17. Rockford, IL

Median annual wage: $79,150
Annual 75th percentile wage: $102,030
90th-percentile annual wage: $122,270
Total employed: 2,040

35 / 50

#16. Framingham, MA NECTA Division

Median annual wage: $79,200
Annual 75th percentile wage: $97,360
90th-percentile annual wage: $118,500
Total employed: 1,370

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36 / 50

#15. El Centro, CA

Median annual wage: $80,130
Annual 75th percentile wage: $92,860
90th-percentile annual wage: $101,660
Total employed: 1,230

37 / 50

#14. Napa, CA

Median annual wage: $80,330
Annual 75th percentile wage: $93,170
90th-percentile annual wage: $101,020
Total employed: 1,040

38 / 50

#13. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT

Median annual wage: $80,340
Annual 75th percentile wage: $97,170
90th-percentile annual wage: $115,890
Total employed: 4,860

39 / 50

#12. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division

Median annual wage: $80,760
Annual 75th percentile wage: $95,330
90th-percentile annual wage: $104,210
Total employed: 31,040

40 / 50

#11. Brockton-Bridgewater-Easton, MA NECTA Division

Median annual wage: $81,360
Annual 75th percentile wage: $92,980
90th-percentile annual wage: $100,040
Total employed: 980

41 / 50

#10. Modesto, CA

Median annual wage: $82,200
Annual 75th percentile wage: $95,490
90th-percentile annual wage: $103,410
Total employed: 2,580

42 / 50

#9. Danbury, CT

Median annual wage: $82,210
Annual 75th percentile wage: $96,820
90th-percentile annual wage: $111,920
Total employed: 1,100

43 / 50

#8. Waterbury, CT

Median annual wage: $83,830
Annual 75th percentile wage: $101,770
90th-percentile annual wage: $122,960
Total employed: 990

44 / 50

#7. Bend-Redmond, OR

Median annual wage: $84,020
Annual 75th percentile wage: $94,340
90th-percentile annual wage: $100,530
Total employed: 700

45 / 50

#6. Dutchess County-Putnam County, NY Metropolitan Division

Median annual wage: $84,700
Annual 75th percentile wage: $104,350
90th-percentile annual wage: $125,500
Total employed: 1,190

46 / 50

#5. Kingston, NY

Median annual wage: $84,730
Annual 75th percentile wage: $100,620
90th-percentile annual wage: $117,670
Total employed: 640

47 / 50

#4. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

Median annual wage: $85,800
Annual 75th percentile wage: $97,220
90th-percentile annual wage: $105,060
Total employed: 20,180

48 / 50

#3. Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division

Median annual wage: $88,110
Annual 75th percentile wage: $103,430
90th-percentile annual wage: $121,790
Total employed: 11,520

49 / 50

#2. Nassau County-Suffolk County, NY Metropolitan Division

Median annual wage: $109,990
Annual 75th percentile wage: $125,050
90th-percentile annual wage: $138,750
Total employed: 13,670

50 / 50

#1. Fairbanks, AK

Median annual wage: $112,940
Annual 75th percentile wage: $132,100
90th-percentile annual wage: $154,300
Total employed: 120

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